Written Answers

Tuesday 16 May 2000

Scottish Executive

Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Bill

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the guidelines to health professionals concerning the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Bill.

Susan Deacon: Codes of practice are required under section 11 of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, containing guidance on the exercise of functions under the Act. Draft codes, including a code for persons authorised to carry out medical treatment or research under Part 5 of the Act, are currently being prepared.

  Final versions of the codes will be laid before Parliament at least three months before they are required for implementation of the legislation. Implementation of the legislation starts in April 2001. We hope to bring Part 5 into force by summer 2001.

Aggregates Tax

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Transport and the Environment’s letter to me dated 13 April 2000, on what research or other evidence the statement that "the quarrying industry is imposing costs on the rest of society, that are not presently reflected in the price of its product" is based and what opportunities the industry has been given to address these costs.

Sarah Boyack: Research carried out by London Economics on The Environmental Costs and Benefits of the Supply of Aggregates – Phase 2 , was published in July 1999. This confirmed that there are significant environmental costs associated with quarrying which are not covered by existing regulation. The industry was given numerous opportunities to develop proposals of its own which would address these costs as well as, or better than, a tax. A package of proposed voluntary measures, which was to be applied throughout the UK, was submitted by the Quarry Products Association, the industry’s main representative body.

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the implementation of the Groundwater Regulations 1998 as they apply to the agricultural industry differs in Scotland from England and Wales, with particular reference to disposal of spent sheep dip and washings from chemical sprayers.

Sarah Boyack: Implementation of the Groundwater Regulations 1998 is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland and for the Environment Agency (EA) in England and Wales. Anyone wishing to dispose of any substance listed in the schedule to the regulations is required to have an authorisation to do so. This would include spent sheep dip and washings from certain chemical sprays.

  There have been some differences in approaches to implementation between SEPA and the EA. SEPA introduced a number of measures to help farmers and crofters and waived the annual maintenance charge in the first year. The EA has dropped the annual subsistence charge for the next four years, however SEPA need to levy such a charge in order to meet the requirement on them to recover the costs of regulation.

Agriculture

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement about the performance of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency against its targets for 1999-2000 and the targets it is setting for 2000-01.

Ross Finnie: The agency is on course to meet the targets for 1999-2001. The agency’s performance will be published in full in its Annual Report and Accounts to be laid before Parliament in July.

  For 2000-01 I have set the agency the following key performance targets.

  Quantitative targets

  Achievement of the target income of £120,000 from new work or new customers;

  completion of 95% of all scientific tests and analyses within the timescales set by customers;

  improvement in the unit cost of the scientific work of the agency (cost per direct scientific hour).

  Milestone targets

  Fulfilment of the SLA within the budget agreed with RAD;

  continuation of the programme of consultation of all customers on the quality of the work done by the agency;

  formal quality assurance accreditation for the Monoclonal Antibody Unit.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on the proposed assisted area status map and whether it will place a copy, and any response, in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive maintains regular contact with The Scotland Office on a range of matters affecting the development of the Scottish economy, including the proposals for a new Assisted Areas map. A number of representations were made to The Scotland Office during the consultation period following the 10 April announcement of revised map proposals. Copies of such representations are available on a public file held by The Scotland Office. The Secretary of State will place a copy of the public file in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre for members’ convenience. I shall in addition place there, a copy of another public file, including copies of representations received during this period by the Scottish Executive.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds most of Inverness is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds Nairn is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds Moray is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds Badenoch and Strathspey is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.

Henry McLeish: I will refer, in answering this question, to the fact that it has also been raised in relation to the areas of Nairn (S1W-6456), Moray (S1W-6457) and Badenoch and Strathspey (S1W-6458) which, along with Inverness, are contained within the Inverness NUTS 3 area.

  The Assisted Area map is a reserved matter.

  The July 1999 Assisted Areas map proposals put forward the Highlands and Islands NUTS 2 area as a whole, for inclusion on the basis of its population sparsity. However, I understand that the European Commission would not accept this, on the basis the Inverness NUTS 3 area does not on its own meet the sparsity criterion.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra jobs will be (a) created and (b) sustained if areas of Inverness are excluded from the assisted area status map and what its estimate is of the impact on the economy if these areas are excluded from the map.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra jobs will be (a) created and (b) sustained if Nairn is excluded from the assisted area status map and what its estimate is of the impact on the local economy if the area is excluded from the map.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra jobs will be (a) created and (b) sustained if Moray is excluded from the assisted area status map and what its estimate is of the impact on the local economy if the area is excluded from the map.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra jobs will be (a) created and (b) sustained if Badenoch and Strathspey is excluded from the assisted area status map and what its estimate is of the impact on the local economy if the area is excluded from the map.

Henry McLeish: I will refer, in answering this question, to the fact that it has also been raised in relation to the areas of Nairn (S1W-6460), Moray (S1W-6461) and Badenoch and Strathspey (S1W-6462).

  The Scottish Executive does not make economic or employment forecasts for local areas in relation to the Assisted Areas map.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has seen the submissions made by Highland Council and Moray Council to The Scotland Office in respect of the assisted area status map and what support it will give to these submissions.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is fully aware of the responses from Highland Council and Moray Council and from other interests across Scotland, and has been closely involved in discussions with The Scotland Office about these and other representations.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Inverness in the decision not to include most of that area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Moray in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Nairn in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Badenoch and Strathspey in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.

Henry McLeish: The Assisted Area map is a reserved matter.

  I will refer, in answering this question, to the fact that it has also been raised in relation to the areas of Moray (S1W-6465), Nairn (S1W-6466) and Badenoch and Strathspey (S1W-6467).

  The Scottish Executive is in discussion with the Scotland Office about these and other aspects of the review of the Assisted Areas map.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to The Scotland Office that the consultation period permitted for submissions to be made to them on the assisted area status map should be extended to allow all interested parties a further and full opportunity to make their case.

Henry McLeish: Extensive representations have already been received from a range of interested parties.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the impact on the economy of the Highlands and Islands, and in particular the likelihood of attracting future inward investment and promoting indigenous existing businesses within the area, of the exclusion of Inverness, Nairn, Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey from the assisted areas status map.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive does not make economic or employment forecasts for local areas in relation to the Assisted Areas map.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, if Inverness, Nairn, Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey are excluded from the assisted area status map, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and local enterprise companies will have sufficient resources to achieve the targets set by it and to create new employment opportunities taking into account impending redundancies in the local oil fabrication sector.

Henry McLeish: Highlands and Islands Enterprise is funded to implement all aspects of its agreed strategy and to deal with economic pressures that may arise from time to time within its area.

Finance

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has made for allocating the additional resources which have become available for Scottish programmes following the UK Budget spending announcements on 21 March 2000.

Mr Jack McConnell: Further to my announcement in my statement to Parliament on 30 March, I can confirm that Cabinet have resolved the following allocations of resources, by programme.

  

 

£ million



 

2000-01


2001-02


2002-03


2003-04




Health


173


268


686


1,140




Education


86.6

 
 
 



Justice


8.9

 
 
 



Transport


15.9

 
 
 



Enterprise


3.5


3.5


1.7

 



  Further announcements will be made by Ministers shortly on how these resources will be used within individual spending programmes.

Holyrood Project

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6090 by Mr Jack McConnell on 28 April 2000, when it expects to be able to publish firm cost estimates with regard to any or all of the ancillary works associated with the Holyrood Project and whether road realignment and landscaping costs are likely to be around £13,000,000.

Mr Jack McConnell: Firm cost estimates for these works are not yet available and can only be produced after the Holyrood design and external works proposals have been finalised.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many custodial sentences were imposed in Edinburgh Sheriff Court in each of the years from 1993 to 1997 inclusive.

Mr Jim Wallace: The number of custodial sentences imposed by Edinburgh Sheriff Court between 1993 and 1997 are as follows:

  


1993


1994


1995


1996


1997




1,359


1,248


1,189


1,500


1,408

Ministry of Defence

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed with Her Majesty’s Government how the disposal of surplus Ministry of Defence property in Unst will be handled and what action will be taken to protect the interests of the Unst community during this process.

Henry McLeish: Yes. The Executive has been assured that MoD officials will be discussing with the local community the disposal of surplus MoD property in Unst and participating in discussions on other relevant issues such as the options for economic development on the island.

Organ Transplants

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a shortage of heart transplant surgeons in Glasgow and, if so, what steps it is taking to address this situation.

Susan Deacon: The shortage of specialist cardiac transplant surgeons in Glasgow is being addressed as part of the wider considerations involved in looking at the future of the national cardiac transplantation service.

Organ Transplants

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Heart Transplant Unit at Glasgow Royal infirmary is to be closed and, if so, what plans it has for the future of its transplant operations.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans to close the Heart Transplant Unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The Scottish Executive is working closely with the Trust in the best interests of patients and their families to do everything we can to make sure the service continues in Scotland. In the meantime, arrangements have been made to ensure that patients waiting for a transplant can be treated in Newcastle, with appropriate follow-up in Glasgow.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to be in a position to give a substantive answer to question S1W-2029 lodged on 18 October 1999 and whether it will give an explanation for the delay.

Donald Dewar: An answer was provided for question S1W-2029 on 9 May 2000.

Rail Network

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the timetable for improvements at the Partick rail interchange.

Sarah Boyack: Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) were successful in securing £3.5 million additional capital consent from the first round of the Public Transport Fund towards the upgrading of Partick railway station to a fully integrated transport interchange. One of the main features of the upgrade will be to improve access for disabled passengers. The timetable for improvements is a matter for the SPT - it is envisaged that work on site will commence early next year.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what consideration has been given to the possibility that the construction of the new Scottish Parliament building may cause structural damage to surrounding buildings; whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is aware of any warnings about subsidence within a 300 yard radius of the Holyrood site; whether adequate insurance cover exists in respect of potential claims in this respect, and whether copies of all documents relating to this issue will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Sir David Steel: As stated in my answer to Mr Brian Monteith of 2 May (S1W-6146), it is standard practice for structural engineers involved in major construction projects to consider any effect on surrounding areas. The structural engineers for the Holyrood Project are monitoring areas within a radius of 1 kilometre of the site and the recorded evidence shows that no ground movement is being detected. Third party collateral damage is covered by insurance held by the Design Team, the Construction Manager and individual "trade package" contractors. The Project Team will shortly produce a report on this subject for the City of Edinburgh Council. A copy of this and related documents will be placed in the Parliament Information Centre.